Pardew gone???

probably on a new contract on twice the cash too

 

probably on a new contract on twice the cash too

 

Sorry but I don't get all this "Cisse can't play up top on his own" horse ****.

He played up top the second half of last season in a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 and scored 13 goals in 14 games. He can't play on his own up front when we knock 70 yard balls at head height up to him.

But get Cabaye, HBA & Marveaux playing close to him with the ball on the deck and he'll score a bucket load of goals. He's a goal scorer, it's what he does. He's far from the most gifted footballer, but he's an incredible goal scorer, in order to score goal he needs chances to be created for him, he hasn't had that this season.

But he has proven that he CAN play upfront on his own and score goals week in, week out when the system is geared towards attacking the opposition. He won't ever be able to hold the ball up or particularly link with the midfield too well, but he plays on the shoulder of the last man and with a creative midfield actually providing him with chances every game (by chances I mean more than one) he will guarantee goals.

 

I'll never support the muppet. The team yes.
It wasn't a 'disappointing' season. It was an unmitigated disaster!

 

Not horse **** at all. Big difference when you have Demba playing wide of you in a 433 where Demba has licence to drift inside. That is the key component you are failing to take account of last year.

He is neither strong enough, has a good enough touch, nor saavy enough to lead a line. If you use him in a Andy Cole type scenario with a Beardsley sitting in behind yes. If you play him alongside a battering ram then yes. If you are asking him to play through the middle with a Gouf and Benni wide of him then its a no for me. This is because centrally you are left with no focal point and you don't have physical strength out wide to counteract it.

Nothing to do with lumping balls to him. Even when we starting passing the ball better after the new guys came in, the striking role still didn't function correctly. Its all very well wanting him to play on the last man to get in behind a la Cole, but that only works in certain systems and not in one where you are on your own with wingers wide of you. Its why Cole needed a Beardsley or a Dwight Yorke. Cabaye is a good central midfielder but it is not his game to fill a Beardsley, Rooney drop off man kind of role. If we really want to release Cabaye at the top of a midfield three with skilful wide men like HBA, we'll need to get a guy in who can make the ball stick. The end result otherwise is gaps appeparing between the lines as they struggle to balance and Cabaye doesn't quite know his role as it is not natural to him.

 

He played centrally in a 4-3-3 and scored a shed load of goals. Cabaye played behind him with Ba & HBA wide. Had nothing to do with Ba drifting inside, he very rarely did that (hence his lack of goals in the second half of last season). Walcott leads the line for Arsenal on his own, Defoe does the same for Spurs, Torres for Chelsea, Rodellage did it for Wigan last year, none of them has a good touch or are particularly strong.

It's horse ****, keep the ball on the ground and build our attacking play around clever movement and he can play up front on his own. Lump the ball up to him at head height and he cannot. In the first two games (Villa away, Chelsea home) we played good football, after that we did not. Away at Villa Sissoko played a slide rule pass, Cisse was on the shoulder and finished calmly. Against Chelsea he could have had a hattrick (again playing on the should) but had an off game. It's everything to do with style of play.

 

He played centrally in a 4-3-3 and scored a shed load of goals. Cabaye played behind him with Ba & HBA wide. Had nothing to do with Ba drifting inside, he very rarely did that (hence his lack of goals in the second half of last season). Walcott leads the line for Arsenal on his own, Defoe does the same for Spurs, Torres for Chelsea, Rodellaga did it for Wigan last year, none of them has a good touch or are particularly strong.

It's horse ****, keep the ball on the ground and build our attacking play around clever movement and he can play up front on his own. Lump the ball up to him at head height and he cannot. In the first two games (Villa away, Chelsea home) we played good football, after that we did not. Away at Villa Sissoko played a slide rule pass, Cisse was on the shoulder and finished calmly. Against Chelsea he could have had a hattrick (again playing on the shoulder) but had an off game. It's everything to do with style of play.

 

Jesus this site is poor today

 

To Greggs?! Fat bastard! Oh wait, hang on.

 

What did you say? I didn't quite hear you.

 

Feel free to delete the repeated posts

 

I think you made your point

 

Welcome back Obi, you've been missed.












But my aim is getting better.

 

Ba regularly drifted inside and Cabaye certainly wasn't playing behind him?? Often Jonas was furthest forward of the midfield 3. Indeed all the talk was of Cabaye/Tiote's midfield partnership - it was instrumental.

Walcott rarely leads the line for Arsenal either, Giroud has been doing that all season for that very same reason. Arsenal can often look a bit toothless when Walcott is played up on his own because he is weak. They play carpet football and struggle with it. Rodellega is pretty strong and Defoe has actually learnt how to do it better - yet they still went and got Adebayor for that very reason. Torres is the prime example of it not really working. The only time it did was when Gerrard was released into a 2nd striker role.

I'm not saying that in certain games Cisse can't get away with it, of course you can. Over the course of a season it is exposed which is why we need some variety into our attack. If we buy a Drogba/Lukaku (obviously not of that standing) then they can lead the line or be combined with Cisse. Likewise if we add a Beardsley type then that can work with Cisse too. I'm not convinced that Cabaye can play in the second striker role. Him and Sissoko can do a job there or be used there away from home where you may want the extra man.

The key thing is we need 2 strikers to make a full complement of 4. I hear all the foreign names getting bandied about and I'm fine with whoever comes in. Personally I'd be equally happy if we took a punt on a Rhodes/Austin etc. I just want some strikers, a left back, a centre back (two if Colo goes), and another wide option (Sinclair?)